Processing facilities are often managed using industrial control and automation systems. Example processing facilities include chemical, pharmaceutical, paper, and petrochemical production plants. Among other operations, industrial control and automation systems typically interact with and control industrial equipment in the processing facilities, such as equipment used to produce chemical, pharmaceutical, paper, or petrochemical products.
Industrial control and automation systems routinely include wired components and wireless components. For example, an industrial control and automation system could include a wireless network of sensors that provide data to a wired controller. Due to the unreliable nature of wireless communications, redundant connectivity and redundant message routing have been proposed. These techniques can be used to increase the reliability and robustness of wireless communications in industrial control and automation systems. While wireless sensor networks supporting redundant connectivity and redundant message routing have been developed, there are often difficulties integrating these sensor networks into wired control systems.